Source description last updated: 30 November 2021

In brief: The German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA) is an independent research institute based in Hamburg that conducts research on political, economic, and social developments in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, as well as on global issues.

Coverage on ecoi.net:

GIGA Focus reports, GIGA Working Papers

Covered monthly on ecoi.net, for countries of priorities A-C.

Mission/Mandate/Objectives:

“The GIGA is committed to a global approach to scholarship, which works with perspectives, concepts, and experiences from different world regions. The institute is dedicated to providing policy advice based on high-quality research. With this mandate – its research and knowledge transfer – the GIGA aims to achieve both academic and societal impact. […]

With its global approach to scholarship, the GIGA analyses how political, social, and economic transitions originate, and how they unfold across the world and within the regions. […]

The institute’s research (1) combines in-depth area expertise and cutting-edge comparative methods (“Comparative Area Studies”), (2) covers different levels of analysis – global, regional, national, local, and (3) applies and develops innovative theoretical and empirical approaches, engaging with ideas and practices from different parts of the world.

[…] On the basis of our research, we advise policymakers and actively engage with academic, political, and societal stakeholders in Germany, at the European and international levels, and in the regions of the Global South.” (GIGA website: GIGA Global Approach to Scholarship, undated)

“In the various editions of the GIGA Focus, the GIGA publishes its research findings and concise analyses of current events. Four editions cover politics, economics, and society in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, respectively. A transregional edition examines global trends.

Eight issues of each edition are published each year, in German or English. Summaries are available in both languages.” (GIGA website: GIGA Focus, undated)

“The GIGA is a foundation under the civil law of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg.” (GIGA website: About the GIGA, undated)

Funding:

“The GIGA is jointly funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (Ministry of Science, Research, Equalities and Districts), and the other federal states. Third-party funding from competitive procedures accounts for approximately 25 per cent of our total annual budget of currently 13 million Euros.” (GIGA website: The GIGA, undated)

Scope of reporting:

Geographic focus: Africa, Asia, Latin America, Middle East

Thematic focus: Accountability and Participation, Peace and Security, Globalisation and Development, Global Orders and Foreign Policies

Methodology:

GIGA Focus reports and Working Papers are written by GIGA research and/or visiting fellows and are based on publicly available qualitative and quantitative information and the author’s analysis. They contain a list of references at the end (see, for example, GIGA: Tunesiens junge Demokratie: Zwischen Sozialprotesten und Strukturanpassung, April 2019, GIGA: AMLO’s First 100 Days: Mixed Signals, March 2019 and GIGA: Cuba’s New Social Structure: Assessing the Re-Stratification of Cuban Society 60 Years after Revolution, February 2019).

Language(s) of publications:

English and German

Further reading / links:

Die Zeit: "Wir haben ein einzigartiges Wissen", 30 September 2014
https://www.zeit.de/2014/38/giga-chefin-amrita-narlikar/komplettansicht

Methodological note:

ecoi.net's source descriptions contain background information on an organisation’s mission & objective, funding and reporting methodology, as well as on how we cover the source. The descriptions were prepared after researching publicly accessible information within time constraints. Most information contained in a source description was taken from the source itself. The aim is to provide a brief introduction to the sources covered regularly, offering information on relevant aspects in one place in a systematic manner. 

All links accessed 30 November 2021.